What is the 40-minute limit lift for group Zoom Meetings?

At the outset of the global pandemic, starting in early March of 2020, Zoom decided to temporarily lift the 40-minute time limit on group Zoom Meetings (3 or more participants) to support primary and secondary institutions providing educational services in a select group of countries around the world.

Why did Zoom decide to lift the time limit for school-owned domain accounts?

Due to the unprecedented nature of the pandemic, Zoom decided to temporarily assist primary and secondary students via remote learning opportunities and help institutions pivot to online instruction. Zoom has a wealth of experience helping educational institutions optimize the Zoom platform for virtual classrooms and online learning. It was and remains our goal to make Zoom easy to use and accessible for everyone, and we have been committed to streamlining the experience for our educational users amid the global coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Zoom worked to provide teachers, administrators, and students around the world with the resources they needed to quickly spin up virtual classrooms, participate in online classes, and continue their studies online. It was our intention that everyone, from seasoned Zoom users to those who’ve never interacted with our product, could easily download the client, start and schedule meetings, set students up with Zoom, and start using Zoom for virtual instruction with ease.

When did Zoom start to offer the lift of the time limit and how long was it available?

Zoom lifted the time limit in early March 2020 and is now ending the program on June 30, 2022.

Who was eligible for the program?

The time limit lift was provided for primary and secondary educational institutions and for use by students, faculty, staff, and alumni for pedagogical interaction within classroom environments, or the administration thereof.

Which countries did Zoom support under this program?

While the program was initially available in many more countries, Zoom decided to make the time limit lift officially available in the following countries:

• Australia
• Austria
• Belgium
• Canada
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hong Kong
• India
• Ireland
• Israel
• Italy
• Korea
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Switzerland
• United Arab Emirates
• United Kingdom
• United States

Why is Zoom ending the program?

After extending the program three times during the ongoing pandemic while many students were still learning from home, the vast majority of students globally have now returned to in-person instruction. Based on the changed modalities, Zoom has now decided to end the program.

What is the final deadline for the lift of the time limit?

The final deadline for the program is June 30, 2022

What are my options for using Zoom Meetings once the time limit is being re-instated?

1. You can continue to use your free Zoom Meeting Basic account (with a 40-minute group time limit)
2. You can speak to your institution about Zoom Meeting education licensing options
3. You can reach out to TechSoup, our global partner in support of non-profit organizations for discounted licensing options
4. You can schedule a conversation with a Zoom education representative about your online, hybrid, hyflex, and other instructional or administrative needs.